Grant Thornton International – “Could be right for some”

Pros

1. In theory, GT should have the greater worklife balance of a small firm without the bureaucracy of a large firm.

2. For students who find themselves for whatever reason passed over the Big 4, GT is still a good way to get a foot in the door to a traditional accounting or finance career.

Cons

1. In practice, GT struggles to keep pace with the Big 4. In most markets GT is forced to compete on cost, so bonuses and fringe benefits are noticeably worse that at big 4, while hours and travel requirements are comparable.

2. GT hired many former Andersen employees after that company's demise; the resulting hybrid culture seems to have combined Andersen's aggressiveness and arogance with GT's risk-averse nature for decideley worse-than-mixed results.

Advice to Senior Management

GT sometimes seems like a loose confederation of medium-sized local accounting firms. Senior Management needs take the time to address this issue, particularly with the Big 4 lowering its audit fees and venturing back into the mid-Tier space GT inhabits.